[Breaking] The Saiin Fest 2017: “Guitar Panda” Live Report

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• Music Festival Master / Editor-in-ChiefKeisuke Hane
  Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC and in charge of music festivals. When I attended my first music festival as a freshman in college, I was captivated by its charm—“I can’t believe there’s a place this free and this fun.” I share information about wonderful music festivals every day to help grow the community of festival fans.

Live Report: The Saiin Festival 2017 – Guitar Panda

I will entertain you by myself.

The show starts with the line, “I’m a one-man rock ’n’ roll panda!” and the first song is a self-introduction.

Amid spontaneous clapping, a lively rock tune began to be played with just a single guitar.

From the very moment it began, Guitar Panda’s humor was already exploding, and despite it being the first live show at Kasuga Kindergarten, the venue was already enveloped in his vibe.

After finishing his self-introduction song and receiving cheers from the audience, he spread his arms wide and responded to their voices with, “Yay to you too!”

The rock star who appeared in Saiin: Calpis Presley!

After the second, mid-tempo rock number “Uta wo Utaou” (“Let’s Sing a Song”) ended, he drew laughs from the audience with Guitar Panda–style self-deprecation, saying, “It’s so muggy today…” and “On days like this it’s easy to get heatstroke… especially in my case.”

And then, saying, “Now for the segment that shatters the dreams of children and starry-eyed maidens: ‘So this is what a panda really is?!’” Guitar Panda first took off his panda headpiece.

And what appeared was a small panda costume head...

Like a matryoshka doll, he was wearing a total of four pandas layered inside the panda costume (lol).

And then he shed the panda body as well, becoming Norio Yamakawa; his appearance was that of a bygone rock star, clad in a pure white outfit adorned with polka dots.

After the performance heated up, he lightened the mood by saying, 'I'm Calpis Presley.'

A live performance that balances playful vibes with passionate intensity

Before performing “Step Back and Rock ’n’ Roll,” what he did was practice getting excessively, almost unnaturally hyped the instant the song ended.

At the exact moment the song ended—with some call-and-response mixed in—the crowd went wild just like we practiced.

However, I felt that this was the audience’s rising energy overflowing.

As the venue was enveloped in a warm, relaxed atmosphere, what quietly began was “Low Tide.”

This song is striking for its relaxed tempo and lyrics that draw you in the more you listen.

In sharp contrast to the humor-filled mood just moments earlier, a performance that conveyed its message in one powerful sweep unfolded.

Finally, “Tobase Rock” and “The Lunch Box.”

Among the audience responding to his call-and-response, even small children were shouting loudly.

By the end, a scene unfolded just like at a live house, with everyone in the audience raising their fists and shouting.

Guitar Panda Profile

Guitar Panda Official Website

Guitar Panda Official Twitter

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The Saiin Fes

Sun 11/23 The Saiin Fest

saifes.net

Saiin Fes is a free (tip-based) music festival held around Saiin in Kyoto. Since 2017, it has been held in spring, summer, and autumn. Not only live music venues but also cafes and shrines throughout the Saiin area become stages, filling the town with music for two days.